


Windchill

by thatoneguywiththatoneship



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 21:58:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13350360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatoneguywiththatoneship/pseuds/thatoneguywiththatoneship
Summary: It gets awfully cold at night in Alola. On one such night, Gladion and Sun await Lillie's return.





	Windchill

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zed_Zalias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zed_Zalias/gifts).



> Request 1 from Tumblr - GladiSun, set when Lillie returns from Kanto
> 
> Sun and Lillie are 17, Gladion is 18

A seaward breeze pushed against both figures on the pier. One was sensibly dressed for the night air, one not quite so much. Gladion wore the black hoodie he always did, thick and comfy, keeping out the cold. The diagonal zip running over his stomach was sealed up and he had the hood pulled up over his head.   
He gave a concerned glance to the boy beside him. Sun hadn’t put on a jacket or a coat, wearing his usual stripy t-shirt, and even that was a size too big for him anyway. Gladion could imagine that the freezing wind was blowing enough to sneak under his shirt and creep over his skin.   
“Sun, you… are you cold?” Gladion said, and cringed. His voice had broken while he’d been speaking. Something about Sun made him nervous, made him feel lightheaded in a sense.  
Sun put one hand on his own shoulder and rubbed it gently. That meant he was nervous. “Um, yeah,” he replied quietly. Gladion sighed. He reached under his hoodie and gripped his plain red t-shirt with one hand before roughly pulling his hoodie off with his free hand. “W-wait-” Sun spoke up, but Gladion continued regardless. “I don’t want you to be cold either-”   
“Well, I don’t want you to be. Who matters more here? The champion, or me?” Gladion’s tone was rough to hide how much he cared about Sun’s wellbeing, even if the two as far as Gladion was concerned were not awfully close. He held out his hoodie to Sun. Sun did not take it.   
“You- you’re the President of the Aether Foundation. And- and as champion, I command you to put your hoodie back on.” Sun wanted to add, _‘and you matter to me,’_ but just couldn’t make himself. If Gladion took it badly it could be awkward for their reunion with Lillie.  _‘Conversations are hard,_ ’ Sun thought.   
Sun was trying to be authoritative, and it was unusual to hear. Gladion put his hands against his waist, holding them outwards.    
“Hmph. I guess I have no choice but to relent to your overwhelming authority.” Sun blushed and giggled. Gladion shook the hoodie, still holding it out. “Put it on."   
"But- you said-” Sun stammered, having actually believed that Gladion was folding to his title.   
“I was joking, stupid,” Gladion said, and finally smiled. Sun smiled too. Seeing Gladion wear that little smirk made Sun feel a warmth, a heat like a tiny baby star in his stomach lighting up his insides. “Put it on,” he repeated, and his smile vanished. Sun wanted to bring it back, so he took the hoodie. As he pulled it over his head, Gladion took the time to grin to himself at how naive and sweet Sun was. By the time Sun had pulled the hoodie on properly Gladion hadn’t quite hidden his amusement.   
“Your smile is nice,” Sun blurted. His hair was a mess from being pulled through the fluffy hoodie and was being pushed about in the sea breeze. Gladion couldn’t help smiling wider at the sight of Sun blushing bright red and wearing his hoodie. “Red suits you,” Sun added quickly. “It makes your eyes look nice."   
"What, they don’t always look nice?” Gladion teased. Sun made an awkward  _'mhm’_ noise, like he didn’t know how to respond. “I’m joking, Sun.” Sun laughed nervously.   
“Do you like my eyes?” Sun’s question caught Gladion off guard and he couldn’t think of an appropriate response quickly enough. He shrugged noncommitaly. “Hm…” Sun sighed. He was disappointed by Gladion’s lack of response, and Gladion sensed that but couldn’t respond. Things were a little awkward between him and Sun, if only because Gladion thought that Sun fancied his sister.   
“They’re great, Sun,” Gladion reassured him. Lillie understood Sun better than him, and frankly he couldn’t wait for her to act as a translator between them. Sun had come to the Paradise every other day to speak to Gladion and ask if he was doing okay, seeing if there was anything he could do to help, and Gladion had looked forward to every visit - but all the same, Sun was a little awkward and unreadable, distant, distracted. 

It had been eight months since Sun was coronated as First Champion of Alola, and Lillie had departed to Kanto to look after Lusamine. The previous week, Gladion had received a message from his sister - she and their mother were coming back to Alola for a month. Lusamine had been making a shaky but decent recovery, and Lillie had thought it best that they took some time in Alola.   
Preparations had been made - Gladion had hired a motel room on Route Two so that the three could get away from both the Paradise and the Hau'oli outskirts, where Gladion understood Sun spent much of his time, outside of standing atop mount Lanakila. The Champion’s role was a one of solemn and reflective loneliness. To stand at the peak of the sacred mountain and await the list of challengers that grew day by day, one by one, whenever he saw fit.   
Sun hadn’t been abandoning his duties in seeing Gladion. He’d been using all the time he took off to meet his friend, and the acting President of the Aether Foundation wondered what exactly warranted Sun’s constant visits and how he balanced his visits with his training. Because Sun was only getting stronger and stronger - he had reached the point where ceremonial duels between Champions at the Battle Tree were ended with as much ease and certainty as any challenger battle.   
The ship that Lillie was travelling on was visible on the horizon, a little speck reflected in Alola’s calm and infinite sea. They both saw it at the same time - Sun took a deep breath in anticipation. “Relax,” Gladion said, noticing Sun’s stress. “There’s not going to be a problem.”   
“I- I know, I was just- I can’t wait to see her again,” he replied. He was wringing his hands, and Gladion noticed that Sun had brought only one of his Pokémon with him. It made sense as to which one.   
Gladion had only his Silvally on hand. His other Pokémon were still at the Paradise, mostly because this wasn’t a time for battling. It was a time for reconciliation with his family - including his mother. The idea of seeing her again made him nervous. There was still a lot of bad blood between them: Lillie may have forgiven her, hell, even Sun may have - but he hadn’t, not yet. He wouldn’t let the grudge get in the way though. He’d put it aside for the occasion.   
No more words were exchanged between the two, but Gladion felt Sun’s eyes on him from time to time. Sun, meanwhile, was wondering if he should hold Gladion’s hand. He could tell the older boy was on edge at the idea of seeing his family again, and maybe Sun could make him feel better about it.   
“Gladion?”   
“Yeah?”   
Sun’s resolve faltered, and he didn’t go for the physical contact. His fingers twitched, but didn’t reach for Gladion’s. “It’ll be okay.”   
Even though Sun was a little out there, something about him was dependable. Gladion found his  comment was far more emboldening than anything he could have told himself. “I… I know it will,” Gladion replied.   
Quiet fell between them again, and the boat came closer and closer. Sun was almost bouncing up and down as it came in to dock, and Gladion was smiling at both his antics and the thought of seeing his little sister again, all grown up and a Trainer herself.   
Gladion and Sun were not the only people waiting. All around them they saw couples reunited, families coming together… and there she was.   
Lillie still had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, but her 'Z- powered form’ had changed somewhat. She was still wearing her short white skirt, but instead of a white hoodie she now wore a light blue flannel and a plain white t-shirt underneath. It made her look far more outgoing, and both Gladion and Sun couldn’t wait to see how she’d changed.   
Following after Lillie was Lusamine. She seemed lesser where Lillie was more. The ex-President looked like she just wanted a long nap, and wasn’t anywhere near as stylish as she looked months ago. She was wearing a plain white robe of some sort that reminded Sun and Gladion more of a dressing gown than anything particularly elegant. It looked like hospital wear, and it didn’t suit her. Despite all this, her face still lit up when she saw Gladion, and her slow and slightly staggered pace quickened a little.   
“Gladion!” Lillie cried and rushed ahead, leaping into a hug. Gladion staggered backward, having been unprepared for her sudden rush toward him. He chuckled lightly and couldn’t help but smile, brazen and bright, dropping his usual seriousness.   
“Hey, Lillie,” he greeted her. “Ugh, its good to see you…” he rocked her back and forth in the hug, smiling.   
“Sun- you too-” Lillie broke away from Gladion, and as she moved Gladion saw Lusamine waiting behind her.   
“Hey,” his mother offered. Gladion and Lusamine’s eyes met. They stared each other down for a moment, then she added in a broken, hoarse voice, “I’m so, so sorry.”   
Gladion wanted to hug her too but couldn’t bring himself to. “It- it’s okay,” he offered, but hadn’t truly forgiven her. Lusamine’s arms trembled and Gladion thought she might try to hug him, but she didn’t.   
Lillie hadn’t noticed their brief exchange, having been hugging Sun with equal enthusiasm as she had her brother. “Oh, Sun, I missed you…” she said.   
“I missed you too,” Sun replied, speaking into her shoulder, refusing to let go for a little longer. As they broke apart Sun placed the single Poké Ball he was carrying into her hand. “I- I thought I should give her back to you.”  
“Nebby…” Lillie whispered, turning the ball over in her hand. Gladion and Lusamine both looked at the Poké Ball, the former with nostalgia and the latter with apprehension.   
“Lillie-” Lusamine spoke up before the moment could last, “-I- I don’t think you should- should let Nebby out here. Not with all these people around.”   
Sun and Gladion both looked at Lusamine and she avoided their eyes. Lillie kept her eyes on the ball, and slowly handed it back to Sun. “Take care of her for a few seconds more for me,” she said with a smile. “I know I can trust you.” Sun nodded in response.   
Gladion was ready to argue with Lusamine over her not allowing Lillie to see Nebby again, but Lillie’s look said to drop it. Gladion realised that Sun would have no more Pokémon on hand if he gave Nebby back to Lillie. He shouldn’t feel so vulnerable knowing that.   
“Now, do you just wanna rush to the motel?” Lillie asked. “It’s cold out here. And you two… Sun, why are you wearing Gladion’s hoodie?”   
“He said I was too cold.” Sun replied simply. Lillie’s smile only grew - it did Gladion and Sun wonders to see her so happy and joyful. She wasn’t who she used to be, she was better, happier, more outgoing.   
“It suits you,” she said, echoing what Sun had said about Gladion’s shirt. Sun blushed and mumbled something - Lillie laughed. “Come on then guys, let’s head off before we freeze to death!”   
Gladion still felt that there was something unresolved between him and Lusamine, but chose to let the moment pass them by. There was a second where they all stood still awkwardly before Lillie clapped her hands and said, “Come on then!”   
The three followed her along the marina and toward Route Two, at a slightly rushed pace, Lillie skipping ahead and Lusamine lagging behind. Gladion and Sun were walking side by side, and Gladion could feel Lusamine watching them in the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. He should trust her. Lillie trusted her. Sun, even he might- he probably did, he hadn’t brought any other Pokémon.   
Gladion shouldn’t be so reliant on Sun. He had Silvally. There was nothing to be afraid of, and was still hoping that Sun would fix all his issues as he had in the past. Their family owed so much to Sun, and Gladion had never really thanked him.   
“S-Sun,” Gladion stuttered, “-um, are… are you- warm enough now?” He hadn’t thought of what to say before he started speaking, and Gladion felt something vague but pleasant in his chest as Sun faced him, Sun’s flat blue eyes glowing under a streetlight, his warm breath curling up and around his dark face in little white clouds. It was mesmerising.   
“Yeah. Thank you for your hoodie,” Sun added quickly. “It’s so comfy. Can I keep it?”   
Gladion didn’t know if Sun was joking or not, but something drove him to allow Sun to have it, no matter how much intrinsic value it held to him. “…Sure, if you-”   
Sun’s emotionless face broke into a grin. “I was joking! It’s yours, and you look good in it!” Gladion felt like Sun was speaking too loudly, and could imagine that both his mother and sister had heard Sun’s comment, but neither reacted to it. “If you’re too cold you can have it back,” Sun added but Gladion huffed and shook his head. He was shivering, but he’d live. The walk was quiet, and Gladion wondered if the others felt as awkward as him. There should be plenty to say, but they were all moving in silence.   
The moon glowed above, and made Lillie think about Nebby. She couldn’t wait to see Nebby again, but her mother had a point - releasing Nebby with that many people around could cause quite a commotion, and Lusamine had privately confided in her that she’d had several nightmares of Nebby blasting her with its Moongeist Beam while recovering and really didn’t want to see the emissary of the moon again. Thinking about Nebby made her recall when Sun had spoken to her at his coronation as Champion of Alola.   
  
_“Is Gladion here?” he’d asked, eyes wide with hope._  
_Lillie had known that Gladion was in fact there, only watching from a distance and not becoming involved in the festivities himself. Her brother was a killjoy. He’d made her promise not to tell Sun he was there - why that was, only Gladion knew. “No, he’s busy at the Foundation…” Lillie’s lie was not easy to speak, but she managed it convincingly enough. Sun looked so dejected that she wished that she’d just told the truth._  
_“I- he’s great. He’s strong. I like him a lot.”_  
_Lillie tilted her head questioningly. “Do you- do you fancy him?”_  
_“Fancy?” Sun asked. He started rubbing his shoulder. “What’s that?”_  
_“Do you like him?” Lillie tried._  
_“Um, I think. He’s- I don’t know if he’s the same. If he’s like me.” Lillie had never really seen Sun as any more than a friend, so the news wasn’t bad. In fact, it was exciting - she laughed._  
_“So- you- you like, like him? You love him?” Lillie was beaming, encouraging Sun to go on._  
_“Um, he- he- yeah, I think,” Sun admitted. Lillie laughed again._  
_“That’s great! I-” for a moment Lillie was reminded of the commitment she’d made to her mother, to go to Kanto to make her better, and paused. If her brother and Sun got together, she wouldn’t be around to see it. “That’s… Sun, you should tell him!”_  
_“I will. I- I don’t know if he’s busy, though. He must be if he’s at the Paradise right now.” Sun muttered. Lillie lost her smile. She wanted Gladion to get involved and have some fun for once. She scanned the area for him but couldn’t spot him anywhere, and frowned. “Is something- something wrong?” Sun asked._  
_“No… nothing…” Lillie didn’t want to bring down Sun’s mood. “Want to dance?” He smiled and nodded. Later that night she found out that Sun had no idea how to dance._  
  
They arrived at the motel room together. Lusamine would only be staying with them for one night, then she’d be going off to the Paradise to be among friends and colleagues of her own again. The moment they got in the door she collapsed into a chair with an almighty sigh.   
“Don’t… don’t mind me. I’ll be out like a light,” she assured the kids as they dispersed around the room. “Ugh…” Gladion realised she wasn’t wearing her customary heels anymore. Something about the sight made him sad.   
“Do you want the sleeping pills, mother?” Lillie asked brightly, ignoring the slight wrong implications with the sentence, the shadow of the past that still hung over their family in the shape of many twisting and writhing things. Lusamine put her hand to her forehead, rubbing it back and forth gently with her fingertips.   
“Sure, Lillie.” Lillie slung the pink backpack off of her shoulders and reached inside. She pulled out a little white container and shook it, the pills inside rattling away. She tossed it across the room and Lusamine gasped, leaning forward to catch it and barely managing to. “Lillie-”   
“-Sorry, mother,” Lillie apologised. “It’s the excitement.” She went to the sink and filled a glass with water for Lusamine to take the pills with and handed it over to her. “There you go.”   
“Thanks, Lillie.” Lusamine paused, staring at the water. “I-” she hesitated, and glanced upward to her daughter’s face. “I love you.”   
Gladion was silent and Sun was avoiding the scenario completely, sitting on the edge of one of the two beds. Gladion could already see the bed scenario providing a problem, even if his mother was to sleep in the chair.   
“I love you too, mother,” Lillie said and hugged Lusamine. Gladion thought he saw Lusamine tremble but wasn’t sure. “Now, you need a long rest after all that travel,” Lillie leaned over, grabbed a pillow from one of the beds and slid it behind Lusamine’s head as Lusamine downed the tablets.   
“Gladion,” Lusamine added quickly. “I love you too. I… I love you… I do. I do.” Gladion didn’t say anything, just stood there, his legs aching from standing for so long. Lusamine rested her head against the pillow and folded her long, thin arms, sliding her eyes shut. “Sun…” she added, and Gladion was on high alert, ready to scream at her if she dared insult him, “thank you for looking after my children.”  
“You’re welcome, miss Lusamine,” Sun said. Gladion felt frustrated somehow, like he was an outsider even though his mother had acknowledged him the same way she had Lillie.   
Lusamine sighed and leaned further into the pillow. The others were quiet for a moment, then they all looked at each other.   
“Oh, you guys…” Lillie said with a smile. Sun pulled off Gladion’s hoodie now that they were indoors in the room, accidentally revealing a little of his stomach. Gladion saw it was surprisingly toned, and averted his eyes. Once Sun had pulled his shirt back down Gladion noticed how muscular Sun actually was, looking at his arms as Sun held out the hoodie for him to take back. How had he never noticed this? Sure, Sun was a rugged type, who climbed the tallest peak on Alola regularly, but… man, if Gladion had noticed this earlier - he blushed at the thought.  
Lillie had noticed Gladion staring, catching his eye and raising an eyebrow. Gladion avoided her questioning look. “So, Sun, how’s being Champion?” Lillie asked.  
Sun sat on one bed and Lillie sat on the other, facing each other. “It’s okay. I get to-”  
“-only okay?” Lillie laughed.   
“Well, its good,” Sun said, rubbing his shoulder nervously. “I like battling all the challengers.”   
“I’ve seen him battle,” Gladion interjected, sitting beside Lillie. “He doesn’t lose. Ever. Not even close.”   
Lillie looked at Gladion strangely as he sat down, and he couldn’t read the face she made. “Hey,” she piped up, and her smile returned so fast Gladion was left thinking he’d imagined the face she was making. “Why don’t we put the beds together? Make one big one? Then we can all lie down and watch a movie before we go to sleep.”   
“N-not too loud, please,” Lusamine murmured from her corner, eyes still shut. “Sorry.” she added and fell silent again.  
“It’ll be fine,” Lillie assured her.   
Sun and Gladion pushed the beds together- Gladion secretly put no effort in and watched Sun’s arms as the younger boy pushed. He wasn’t built like a brick or anything, but he was definitely hiding some level of physical strength. Sun managed just fine by himself, and the moment he was done took off his shoes and threw himself onto the combined beds, Lillie laughing and doing the same. Even Gladion chuckled and followed their lead, the siblings sandwiching Sun between them. Gladion found Sun leaning toward him a little, and wanted to put his arm around him for some reason.   
He didn’t act on the whim. Maybe Sun wouldn’t like it. The three chatted away for a short time, that became an hour, that became two - the idea of watching a movie was forgotten.   
  
Sun was sleeping gently. The siblings talked quietly across him.   
“Did… was mother okay?”   
Lillie ignored the question. It wasn’t important. “Gladion,” she sighed.   
“What? Is it- is it mother? Is she-is she worse?” Gladion kept his voice hushed but was distraught by the idea. He didn’t want to disturb Sun.   
“No, it’s Sun,” Lillie hissed. “Don’t you get it?”   
“Get what?”   
Lillie’s expression was nothing short of comical. “Dumbass!” Gladion was shocked - Lusamine had never stood for such language. Lillie had really come out of her shell. The sound made Sun mumble in his sleep and he rolled over, clinging to Gladion dependently. Lillie didn’t just smile - her smirk was almost too big for her face, her eyes twinkled like Gladion had never seen them twinkle before.   
He blushed. “What’s the big deal?”   
“It’s- it’s obvious he likes you,” Lillie whispered, but her tone and her excited gestures made her voice sound like she was shouting. “How did you not- he said he came to see you every day!”  
“Not every day,” Gladion muttered by way of argument. “Every other day-”  
“-does it really matter? Didn’t you pick up on that?” Now that Lillie was talking about it it made much more sense. Gladion recalled one time in particular, when he had been struggling with a heap of paperwork regarding an accounting issue over the Bug-type wing. Sun had arrived, and he’d just sat there - Gladion hadn’t spoken a word to him beside a slight glance to acknowledge the other boy’s presence.   
Eventually Sun had left, and Gladion had felt guilty about it. The two usually had some form of short conversation, but that day they didn’t, until Sun returned later with hot chocolate from one of Gladion’s favourite stores on Akala island. Gladion had thanked him for it, sighing as he took a sip from the still-hot paper cup and Sun had silently nodded. After that they started up a conversation about how difficult the Foundation work was, and Sun pulled up a chair beside Gladion. At the time Gladion had thought it was so that Sun could help him with the paperwork, but now the memory seemed to have changed. Sun hadn’t just been helping out, he’d also leaned against Gladion, ignoring the armrest in the way. That little contact from Sun had made everything so much more bearable, and the day had ended on a much higher note than it began when Wicke brought them both big malasadas and Sun had given him a brief hug before leaving on the back of a Charizard.   
The new spin on the memory made him blush brighter and Gladion defiantly put his arm around Sun, making Lillie laugh out loud.  
All the thoughts he’d been having about Sun - being nervous, being unsure of what to do, a feeling of confusion - with all this new context Gladion found a name for exactly how he felt, had felt for months about the Champion sleeping softly beside him. “So what if I didn’t know then, I know now, I know I love him too-” Gladion admitted to himself. He thought about it further. He really did admire Sun. He really did appreciate his visits, even though he hadn’t spoken much about them. He really did love him, for what he’d done for them and for how he acted, for how he spoke and how he looked, that flyaway hair, that beautiful blue stare.   
“You love me too?” Sun asked. Lillie’s laugh had woken him up in time for him to hear Gladion’s announcement. “You  _love_  me?”   
Gladion wanted to backpedal out of embarrassment at admitting it but he knew that it would be untruthful, and he was not going to hurt Sun’s feelings. “Sure I do,” Gladion smiled. Sun’s smile was incendiary as his namesake, warming Gladion to his core.   
Sun moved quickly and enthusiastically to hug him properly. “Does this mean that I can borrow your hoodie more often?” His voice was so full of excitement at the idea that Lillie and Gladion both burst out laughing - Lillie joined in on the hug too, and the three shared a perfect serenity as they held each other and laughed.    
“Arceus, Gladion, you’re so stupid,” Lillie giggled. “I’m just glad I was around to see you two get together - I thought I’d miss it in Kanto, but considering how slow you were going, I’d be dead before you told him.”  
“Shut up,” Gladion advised, but his voice was far from harsh.   
“Can- can we kiss? Like boyfriends?” Sun asked.   
“Go for it,” Gladion said with a smile. Sun leaned toward him and their lips met, Gladion closing his eyes to take in the moment. This was his first kiss. He’d been a lonely child, isolated on the Aether Paradise, so it only made sense that his first - and he hoped, his only love - would come from outside that little bubble. His first kiss, with a boy, who was more interesting than any girl he’d ever met, more attractive, stronger, smarter… yep, he loved Sun.   
Sun too had his eyes shut, thinking about Gladion in similar terms. Gladion had gone through so much but he was determined, a stalwart and unbreakable wall that Sun wanted to help fortify and make stronger through love. He had seen that Gladion sought friendship and companions, even though he’d found it hard to admit, so Sun had never abandoned him, never let Gladion think that he’d forgotten him, visiting whenever he could so that Gladion had a friendly presence nearby to speak to.   
Lillie let them go and left them to their moment, her thoughts bemoaning just how thick-skinned Gladion had been until this point. She was glad that her brother and Sun were together. Sun had already set her free in a sense, but Gladion… Gladion would take up all of Sun’s time, and that was okay, because Sun would want to help no matter what. And she just loved the idea of her brother and Sun dating.  
After a moment Sun and Gladion broke apart, blushing together. Sun raised a hand to brush Gladion’s fringe aside so he could look into both of his eyes free of obstruction, and the green struck blue and made sparks of golden excitement in both of them.   
“I love you.” Sun said, and his voice was laden with admiration.   
“I love you too, Sun,” Gladion replied, and they hugged. Sun patted Gladion on the back as they came together, and the gesture was so warm and so gentle that Gladion fought back tears. Everything was going to be okay now. Their mother was recovering. He and Sun were… were together. Lillie was happy. And Gladion was finally willing to admit it for himself as their lips met again, coming together with a sigh of relief and passion - he’d found happiness too.

* * *

  
  



End file.
